This invention relates to the treatment of metal surfaces prior to a finishing operation, such as the application of a siccative organic coating (also known as an "organic coating", "organic finish", or simply, "paint"). Specifically, this invention relates to the treatment of conversion-coated metal with an aqueous solution comprised of a selected organosilane and a zirconium ion. Treatment of conversion-coated metal with such a solution improves paint adhesion and corrosion resistance.
The primary purposes of applying siccative coatings to metal substrates (e.g., steel, aluminum, zinc and their alloys) are protection of the metal surface from corrosion and for aesthetic reasons. It is well-known, however, that many organic coatings adhere poorly to metals in their normal state. As a result, corrosion-resistance characteristics of the siccative coating are substantially diminished. It is therefore a typical procedure in the metal finishing industry to subject metals to a pretreatment process whereby a conversion coating is formed on the metal surface. This conversion coating acts as a protective layer, slowing the onset of the degradation of the base metal, owing to the conversion coating being less soluble in a corrosive environment than is the base metal. The conversion coating is also effective by serving as a recipient for a subsequent siccative coating. The conversion coating has a greater surface area than does the base metal and thus provides for a greater number of adhesion sites for the interaction between the conversion coating and the organic finish. Typical examples of such conversion coatings include, but are not limited to, iron phosphate coatings, zinc phosphate coatings, and chromate conversion coatings. These conversion coatings and others are well-known in the art and will not be described in any further detail.
Normally, the application of an organic finish to a conversion-coated metal surface is not sufficient to provide the highest levels of paint adhesion and corrosion resistance. Painted metal surfaces are able to reach maximum performance levels when the conversion-coated metal surface is treated with a "final rinse", also referred to in the art as a "post-rinse" or a "seal rinse", prior to the painting operation. Final rinses are typically aqueous solutions containing organic or inorganic entities designed to improve paint adhesion and corrosion resistance. The purpose of any final rinse, regardless of its composition, is to form a system with the conversion coating in order to maximize paint adhesion and corrosion resistance. This may be accomplished by altering the electrochemical state of the conversion-coated substrate by rendering it more passive or it may be accomplished by forming a barrier film which prevents a corrosive medium from reaching the metal surface. The most effective final rinses in general use today are aqueous solutions containing chromic acid, partially reduced to render a solution comprised of a combination of hexavalent and trivalent chromium. Final rinses of this type have long been known to provide the highest levels of paint adhesion and corrosion resistance. Chromium-containing final rinses, however, have a serious drawback due to their inherent toxicity and hazardous nature. These concerns make chromium-containing final rinses less desirable from a practical standpoint, when one considers such issues as safe handling of chemicals and the environmental problems associated with the discharge of such solutions into municipal water streams. Thus, it has been a goal of the industry to find chromium-free alternatives which are less toxic and more environmentally benign than chromium-containing final rinses. It has also been desirous to develop chromium-free final rinses which are as effective as chromium-containing final rinses in terms of paint adhesion and corrosion resistance properties.
Much work has already been done in the area of chromium-free final rinses. Some of these have utilized either zirconium chemistry or organosilanes. U.S. Pat. No. 3,695,942 describes a method of treating conversion-coated metal with an aqueous solution containing soluble zirconium compounds. U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,526 describes a method of treating phosphated metal surfaces with an aqueous mixture of an aluminum zirconium complex, an organofunctional ligand and a zirconium oxyhalide. The treated metal could be optionally rinsed with deionized water prior to painting. U.S. Pat. No. 5,053,081 describes a final rinse composition comprising an aqueous solution containing 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane and a titanium chelate. In all of the above examples, the treatment method described claimed to improve paint adhesion and corrosion resistance.
The levels of paint adhesion and corrosion resistance afforded by the treatment solutions in the above examples do not reach the levels desired by the metal finishing industry, namely the performance characteristics of chromium-containing final rinses. I have found that aqueous solutions containing selected organosilane compounds and zirconium ion provide paint adhesion and corrosion resistance characteristics comparable to those attained with chromium-containing final rinses. In many cases, the performance of conversion-coated metal surfaces treated with organosilane-zirconium solutions in accelerated corrosion tests exceeds that of conversion-coated metal treated with chromium-containing solutions.